Beer

Learn to brew beer.

Lets face it, there are going to be times where a drink will be needed. If you are a teetotaler, that is cool, but continue reading.

One of the things that will be needed is relaxation, if you brew beer, you can provide that. To yourself and to others. Handing a cold (or even cool) beer to a friend after a hard day work is an act of kindness, even if you don’t drink. It is also an excellent trade good. A six pack of beer for a couple dozen eggs or some meat is a great deal for both sides of the bargain.

The actual process and equipment isn’t that difficult either. Of course there will be brew nazis that will tell you that only the most intricate and expensive equipment is appropriate. Fuck em. The Babylonians brewed beer 5000 years ago, it can’t be all that hard. If you are spending more than $50.00 on equipment, you are probably going overboard. A good beer is easy. You aren’t doing this to show off to your buddies how cool you are...it is a part and parcel of getting by.

This week I am going to buy some basic supplies for a year of brewing. I am going to vacuum seal the crushed barley malt with oxygen scavengers, buy some bulk hops and parse them out, and have some yeast in the freezer. I am also starting to think about what it is going to take to maintain the ingredients. I have some hop plants out back, they didn’t grow this year, but that is not that abnormal, hopefully I can get some yields next year. Malting barley isn’t that hard, I just have to find some barley, and propagating yeast isn’t too much of a chore. I’ll update you as this gets going.

Start looking at the peripherals of your life. Most of us have sufficient preps to get by, but if we are going to thrive, we have to start adding a few non-basics to take the edge off the monotony.